“$10,000-what a joke”; “Hurry the f*** up” – Fans react to LIV golf penalizing player for a rare violation in Chicago

Fans on social media have reacted to Richard Bland getting a one-stroke penalty for slow play at the LIV Golf Chicago event. The English golfer teed it up at this week’s event on the Saudi circuit. However, during the first round on Friday, 13 September, he had some difficulty on the course as he took more than 40 seconds to take his shot.

Bland was playing in a group with Patrick Reed and Charl Schwartzel, and they were given warnings for slow play on the 10th hole. However, on the 12th, Bland took more than the allowed time and was assessed a one-stroke penalty with a $10K fine.

NUCLR Golf shared the news on its X account, writing:

“#PENALTY — LIV Golf star Richard Bland was assessed a one-stroke penalty and fined $10k for violating LIV Golf’s pace of play policy during round 1 of LIV Chicago.”

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Fans jumped into the comments section to react to the fine imposed on the golfer, sharing their opinions.

“$10,000-what a joke,” a fan wrote.

“Hurry the f**k up!!!!,” another fan commented.

One fan noted that 40 seconds to play in “super windy conditions” is “wild”.

“I get the pace of play complainers, but 40 seconds per stroke in super windy conditions and losing a stroke in a professional environment is just wild. Maybe LIV really is a joke,” a fan wrote.

Meanwhile, another fan took a jibe at the golfer and the venue of the tournament.

“He was just taking in all the beauty of that dog sh** course they’re playing,” another fan jotted.

A look into Richard Bland’s performance at LIV Golf Chicago 2024

Bland started his game at the Chicago event on the sixth hole. He made par on his first hole of the day but unfortunately struggled on the next hole and shot a bogey. However, he bounced back with a birdie on the tenth but again ended up making a bogey on the 12th. He shot three birdies and four bogeys in the first round and scored 1-over par to tie for the 21st position after the first round.

Brooks Koepka, who last won the Greenbrier event, got off to a good start in Chicago and shot 8-under for a bogey-free round, settling at the top position on the leaderboard. He has a four-stroke lead over Paul Casey, who settled in second place with 4-under.

Anirban Lahiri settled in third place, followed by Bryson DeChambeau, who tied for fourth place with Lucas Herbert, Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed, and Ian Poulter. The tournament will conclude with its finale on Sunday, 15 September.